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[Mighty Midget]

When someone is looking for a game in the Forum, and, let's say, I look for it, I often come across sites that are obvious warez sites, but quite often also, I come across sites that are "questionable" in the sense that it's hard to tell whether it's a warez site or a "clean" site. Obviously, the links at Abandonia to abandonware sites, are legit in Ab terms, but how can I tell if the other site can be linked in my reply to the request?

Maybe someone with more experience in this departement, can offer their advice on how to tell. You know, post some clues, dos and don'ts.

[Titan]

Well, normaly we allow our "partners" and HotU as refferences, as we know they have more or less the same oppinion on the matter as us.
The big "filter" should be the OW-list though.
Any game listed as ESA or Sold or newer then -97'ish should not be linked out at all, as it breaks against our views on the matter (Abandonware... that doesn't realy exists in the eyes of the law anyway).

As we'r a none-profit site, we also try to restrict links to "profit" sites, excluding game-stores ofc.

"Questionable" sites are just what you called them... they are questionable, and if you are unshure, just don't link it.
Many "shady" sites offer games in return for something. Can be all from having you clicking a banner (and thereby generating money for them) to planting spyware/malware/data-miners to gather info on you to sell to others who will pay for such information... and again, earn money.

If you find an outright warez-site, just report them to ESA or the anti-piracy organication of your choise.

However... IF you find a game, that is listed as AW in the OW-list that, we or any other of our partners, doesn't host, and the site seems OK, i guess you could link it and perhaps write a line in style with: I don't know if this is OK, but i'll give it a try.
If we deem it to be "bad", we'll just remove the link, and you are that experince richer.

This is MY oppinion though. Another admin might say something different. We'r all humans (well, not those "users" who spam the forum with ads) and have different views on this.